SAN DIEGO – After former San Diego Mayor Bob Filner’s disgraceful resignation from office (due to sexual harassment accusations from 20 women), now the city’s audit committee is on his back.
San Diego’s audit committee has launched a formal investigation on Filner’s use (or misuse) of his city-issued credit card.
The audit committee is investigating how Filner was able to charge a $16,000 trip to France last summer on his city credit card, which should have only had a limit of $5,000, according to news reports.
According to NBC San Diego, prior to the trip, Filner approached City Comptroller Ken Whitfield to increase the limit on the credit card.
Whitfield denied the request.
According to Whitfield, Filner received approval from a different administrator.
Filner’s office later revealed the cost of the trip for the mayor, his fiancée and two security officials. It totaled to more than $31,000. The trip was partly funded by the Organization of Iranian-American Communities.
The city paid more than $16,000 to cover Filner’s security detail, according to the report.
Assistant Chief Operating Officer Scott Chadwick said he believes the travel should not have been authorized, NBC reported.
The city cancelled Filner’s credit cards in April. Auditors found nearly half of the $2,000 Filner charged were for personal items, such as a blender and lunches.
Filner reimbursed the city of those charges.
City officials say they plan to send findings of their investigation to the California Attorney General’s office.
(www.asianjournal.com)
(LA Midweek September 11, 2013 Sec A pg.1)
